Manta at SeaWorld Orlando is a Bolliger & Mabillard flying coaster. This is a
beautifully presented ride with an action-packed layout. And this is why I think it has a strong
case as the best flying coaster in the United States. In this review, I’ll discuss
everything that makes this ride so special. The SeaWorld chain has always enjoyed working with
Bolliger & Mabillard, but they have only installed one flyer. And that is none other than Manta.
This ride was added in 2009 as SeaWorld Orlando’s fourth roller coaster. At the time,
it was just the park’s second B&M coaster, but the park is now in the midst of building their
fifth coaster from the Swiss manufacturer. Despite opening 15 years ago, Manta is the
most recent B&M flyer to open in North America. B&M’s four most recent flyers all opened in Asia,
including Acrobat at Nagashima Spa Land that is an exact clone of Manta.
I love the look of Manta. The coaster features aqua blue track and sky blue supports. And the
ride is stunning to watch. The ride runs over and adjacent to the midway. Then the second
half has some phenomenal landscaping. There’s a picturesque turn with timed fountains for
a splashdown effect. Then you pass over the water, past a rocky mound with a waterfall,
and then past some trees. And I also have to talk about the trains. The lead car is a work of art,
as it’s stylized to resemble a ray. Another underrated part about this
coaster’s presentation is the soundtrack. It’s a relaxing score that captures the
beauty of the ride’s area. And it also signals to those off-ride that a train is dispatching.
While most of SeaWorld’s coasters are located towards the back of the park,
Manta is right by the main entrance. This builds a lot of excitement for your day. It also causes
many people to start their day with Manta. It often gets a 30-60 wait minimum right after the
park opens. If you return in the afternoon, I commonly find Manta to be a walk-on since
people have progressed further into the park. If you are visiting on a busy day, this ride is
included on the park’s Quick Queue skip-the-line system. This brings you right up to the station.
If you do get stuck waiting a while for Manta, it actually has a nice queue. It’s entirely
indoors and it routes you past a series of aquariums. I’d argue it’s an attraction in
itself. You have all sorts of fish and rays swimming around you. I know several
people who have no interest riding the coaster that go in there just to see the marine life.
Manta has a high theoretical capacity. The ride has three trains and a dual load platform. But in
all my years visiting the park, I have only seen two trains in use at a time. And almost always,
the ride is using just one side of the station. This is to save on staffing. I have heard of them
using the second side only on very busy days. Unfortunately, this ride in reality is probably
the least efficient major coaster at SeaWorld. B&M flyers are slow-loaders. This is because
the trains need to raise and lower in the station. If they’re only using one platform,
there’s a decent chance you’ll get stuck on the brake run for a minute or two after your
ride which is not the most comfortable. The trains themselves are snug but fine.
You have an over-the-shoulder harness with a vest component to keep your upper-body
in place. Then there are ankle restraints that prevent your legs from falling out.
As for seat selection, I find Manta to be a back row ride. I find the whip and positive
Gs noticeably better back there. The front does have the advantage of the unobstructed view,
which is always a plus on a flyer. So try both if you have the opportunity.
Once checked, the trains enter the flying position and move forwards. You then climb
the 140 foot or 43 meter tall lift hill. In front of you, you can fittingly see Stingray
Lagoon. But I think it’s more impressive if you look down. There’s no catwalk beneath you,
so you’re staring directly at the pavement beneath you. It’s a pretty freaky visual.
This also makes evacuations on this coaster complex. I’ve seen how they do
it in person with a sliding platform, as they release one row at a time.
Once at the top, you have a large swooping drop to the right. If you’re in the back, the twist is
very snappy. It feels like you’re being throw outwards. And then you start getting hit with
good positive Gs. These intensify as you plummet and then everyone gets great Gs on the pullout.
As forceful as that it, it is child’s play compared to what comes next- the pretzel loop.
As with most B&M flyers, this is far and away the most intense part of the ride. It’s basically an
upside-down loop. As you’re pulled downwards, you get extremely strong and sustained positive Gs.
You feel extremely heavy lying on your back. And it’s a super disorienting maneuver too.
You then pop upwards and have a high banked turn. It offers a brief reprieve from the forces while
offering a nice view. Most recently, it offers an overview of the Penguin Trek construction site.
This fluidly transitions into an inline twist. It’s a graceful flip with some sweet
visuals since you’re elevated so high. The exit heads directly into a swooping
drop taking you back down to ground level. You build up nice speed and good positive Gs here.
Then you have an elongated corkscrew. It’s not too fast, but I think that works to its advantage
since it perfectly embodies the sensation of flight. But if you’re in the back row,
you will get some whip as you snap out of it. You then jump upwards into a mid-course brake
run. Those up front will get a tiny pop of airtime here.
The mid-course will slow the train a bit, but not too much.
Then you have a straight drop back down to ground level. It’s steep enough to give some ok floater
airtime in the rear rows. Airtime on a flyer is such a bizarre sensation since you’re basically
in the prone position getting lifted upwards. The second half has a series of near-misses
with the landscaping. It is a beautiful finale. This compensates for the ride’s loss of speed.
You start with that iconic turn above the water. The right side in particular gets
super close to the surface. Then you also may get lightly hit by those fountains.
This is followed up by another turn. This one travels past that aforementioned waterfall and
it’s possible riders will get lightly misted. Then comes the fourth and final inversion,
another inline twist. This is another graceful flip, but as with the corkscrew, the back row
is sort of whipped out of it at the end. Immediately after, there is one more turn
towards the brakes. And this turn has some solid Gs to it.
You then hit the final brake run. While I love how beautiful much of this ride’s course looks,
the area by the brake run looks very industrial with the metal buildings
and giant tanks. And as I mentioned earlier, you can sometimes get stuck here for a bit.
Eventually, you will return to the station, ending the 3359 foot or 1024 meter long coaster.
In terms of pacing, Manta does a good job. I like the flow of the elements. They are
either forceful or offering a nice view while performing some sort of maneuver.
The latter work really well with a flyer. Then in terms of smoothness, this ride is glossy
smooth. I could ride this coaster all-day long. So what would I rate Manta? I would give this
flying coaster a 9 out of 10. This is a fantastic coaster. The layout is well-integrated into the
park and its surroundings. Those visuals make the experience so blissful. Then the ride has
some exciting drops and inversions, most notably that uber intense pretzel loop towards the start.
This is neck-and-neck with Tatsu at Six Flags Magic Mountain for my favorite flying coaster
in the United States. I think Manta is the more complete ride, but I think I give the slight edge
to Tatsu for the absurd power on that ginormous pretzel loop and the sensation of height.
It really is a shame more flyers haven’t been built because they are inherently fun rides.
So those are my thoughts on Manta at SeaWorld Orlando. What are your thoughts
on this coaster? How does it compare to the other flying coasters for you? Let me know
down in the comments. If you enjoyed this review, I would appreciate it if you gave
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more roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!